TEN TIPS FOR WRITING WINNING NOMINATION PACKAGES
- Use the rating criteria as an outline for organizing your nomination and use headings to transition from one rating criteria to the next. Doing so enables judges, who have limited time to review each nomination, to quickly evaluate the nomination. It will also reduce the chance that critical information will be overlooked. Be aware, judges may not go searching for information that is out of order.
- Speak directly to each rating criteria. Failing to respond to any one of the rating criteria could prevent an otherwise outstanding nominee from being selected. And have someone else proof read your nomination - grammatical errors and misspelled words detract from the quality of the nomination.
- Keep your narrative to a minimum. Critical facts about your nominee’s successes can easily get lost in unnecessary verbiage. However, include all information necessary to highlight the nominee’s accomplishments in simple language and explain technical terms in a manner the non-expert will understand.
- Include all information required for the award category. Nominations may be disqualified if nominators fail to submit all information required for that particular award. When in doubt, contact your local district office for direction.
- Include a high resolution, 300 DPI, color headshot and five or six candid action shots showing the nominee(s) with their employees, customers or engaged in work or community activities and /or electronic 300 dpi photos of the same on CD. Xeroxed copies are not acceptable.
- Be aware that judges will only be reviewing black and white duplicate copies of the material you submit. Content is more important than a decorative presentation.
- Fully disclose any and all SBA assistance a nominee has received, including SBA loans, procurement assistance, or assistance from SCORE, SBDC, Women’s Business Center, or direct counseling/assistance from an SBA district office.
- Businesses and individuals with compelling stories are often seen very favorably by judges; look for a factual, yet engaging angle to present your nominee.
- Letters in support of nominations are an excellent way to highlight individual or business accomplishments, but seek letters from individuals having first hand knowledge of these accomplishments and ask that the letters site specific examples of the nominee’s successes and contributions.
- Use underlines to bring attention to important facts in your supporting documents - such as letters of support and news clippings. Don't use highlights; doing so may turn out to mask the words when duplicates are made.